J Korean Med Sci.  2011 Nov;26(11):1403-1408. 10.3346/jkms.2011.26.11.1403.

Development of Standard Digital Images for Pneumoconiosis

• Lee WJ
• Choi BS
• Kim SJ
• Park CK
• Park JS
• Tae S
• Hering KG

• KMID: 1123438
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2011.26.11.1403

Abstract

We developed the standard digital images (SDIs) to be used in the classification and recognition of pneumoconiosis. From July 3, 2006 through August 31, 2007, 531 retired male workers exposed to inorganic dust were examined by digital (DR) and analog radiography (AR) on the same day, after being approved by our institutional review board and obtaining informed consent from all participants. All images were twice classified according to the International Labour Office (ILO) 2000 guidelines with reference to ILO standard analog radiographs (SARs) by four chest radiologists. After consensus reading on 349 digital images matched with the first selected analog images, 120 digital images were selected as the SDIs that considered the distribution of pneumoconiosis findings. Images with profusion category 0/1, 1, 2, and 3 were 12, 50, 40, and 15, respectively, and a large opacity were in 43 images (A = 20, B = 22, C = 1). Among pleural abnormality, costophrenic angle obliteration, pleural plaque and thickening were in 11 (9.2%), 31 (25.8%), and 9 (7.5%) images, respectively. Twenty-one of 29 symbols were present except cp, ef, ho, id, me, pa, ra, and rp. A set of 120 SDIs had more various pneumoconiosis findings than ILO SARs that were developed from adequate methods. It can be used as digital reference images for the recognition and classification of pneumoconiosis.

Keyword

Pneumoconiosis; Digital radiography; Analog radiography; ILO classification

MeSH Terms

Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Dust
Humans
Lung/*pathology/*radiography
Male
Middle Aged
Occupational Exposure
Pleura/radiography
Pneumoconiosis/*radiography
Radiographic Image Enhancement/*standards

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Work flow for developing the 120 standard digital images: IRB, Institutional Review Board; DR, digital radiography; AR, analog radiography; AEC, automatic exposure control; and SARs, ILO Standard Analog Radiographs.

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